When to Plant Pak Choy in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Also called bok choy, pak choi, buk choy.
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Pak Choy guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Apr to Aug
- Days to harvest
- 35 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 25 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
Pak choy (also spelled bok choy, pak choi) is a fast-growing, non-heading Chinese cabbage with thick, crisp stems and dark green leaves. It matures in 5-7 weeks, making it one of the quickest brassica crops.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr S/D
- May S/T/D
- Jun S/T/D (likely to bolt)
- Jul T/D (likely to bolt)
- Aug T/D (likely to bolt)
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Amber = likely to bolt if sown this month, it matures into heat or long days.
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How to Grow Pak Choy in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost and aged manure. Needs moisture-retentive but not waterlogged soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade essential in warm zones to prevent bolting.
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 35cm between rows
- Watering
- Consistent moisture critical. Water deeply every 2-3 days. Drought stress triggers bolting. Drip irrigation ideal. Morning watering preferred.
- Good companions
- Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill
- Keep away from
- Strawberry
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Tropical Growing Tips for Pak Choy
Recommended Varieties
- Baby Bok Choy (fast maturing)
- Shanghai (green stem)
- Choy Sum (flowering type)
Key Challenges
- Bolts rapidly in warm/long-day conditions
- Extreme pest pressure (diamondback moth, aphids)
- Soft rot in wet conditions
Pro Tips
- Baby bok choy varieties mature in 4-5 weeks and are more reliable than full-size types
- Insect netting is absolutely essential. Without it, expect total crop loss
- Grow in the cooler months only; summer is futile
Pests and problems for Pak Choy in Tropical
Harvesting Pak Choy
When ready: Baby bok choy: 15-20cm tall (4-5 weeks). Full size: 25-35cm with thick, firm stems (6-8 weeks). Stems should snap crisply when bent.
How to harvest: Cut entire plant at soil level with sharp knife. Or harvest outer leaves/stems individually for cut-and-come-again. Harvest in cool of morning.
Storing and preserving pak choy
How to keep it
- Stir-fry and Freeze. Quick stir-fry pak choy with garlic and soy (2-3 minutes). Cool completely. Portion into containers. Freeze for quick meal additions. Keeps: 3-6 months.
- Blanching and Freezing. Separate stems and leaves (stems need longer blanching). Blanch stems 2 minutes, add leaves for final 30 seconds. Ice bath. Drain, pack into freezer bags. Keeps: 8-10 months.
- Kimchi-style Fermentation. Salt pak choy for 4 hours. Rinse. Mix with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce. Pack into jars. Ferment 3-5 days at room temperature. Refrigerate. Keeps: 2-4 months refrigerated.
- Pickling. Quarter or halve pak choy. Salt and press for 2 hours to remove water. Rinse. Pack into jars with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and chilli. Refrigerate. Keeps: 1-2 months refrigerated.
What pak choy costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Pak Choy
When do you plant pak choy in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug Likely to bolt if sown in June, July and August.
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Feb to Aug Likely to bolt if sown in August.
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Feb to Oct Likely to bolt if sown in October.
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Feb to May, Aug to Oct Likely to bolt if sown in September and October.
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Feb to Apr, Sep to Oct Likely to bolt if sown in October.
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Sep Likely to bolt if sown in July, August and September.
- Mediterranean (Perth): Feb to Sep
Can you grow pak choy all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Apr to Aug. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather. Likely to bolt if sown in June, July and August.
What else is pak choy called?
Pak choy is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it bok choy, pak choi, buk choy. Same plant, same growing advice.
When should I plant Pak Choy in Cairns?
Sow from April to August (dry season), best sown direct. Summer growing is very difficult due to bolting and pests.
What soil temperature do Pak Choy need?
Pak Choy germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Pak Choy are ready to harvest?
Baby bok choy: 15-20cm tall (4-5 weeks). Full size: 25-35cm with thick, firm stems (6-8 weeks). Stems should snap crisply when bent.
What are the best Pak Choy varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Baby Bok Choy (fast maturing), Shanghai (green stem), Choy Sum (flowering type).
What grows well with Pak Choy?
Good companion plants for Pak Choy include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill.
Are pak choy salt tolerant?
Only a little. Pak choy are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.